Ashley Chambliss
Ashley Chambliss will be providing your morning piano groove on Saturday and Sunday mornings at Eden Hall. She has studied music at Berklee in Boston and has been playing coffee shops, listening rooms, and festivals since 1994. Ashley also plays in a trio with long-time LEAFers Chris Rosser and River Gueguerian. Watch for their set in the intimate setting of the Barn!
www.ashleychambliss.com

Agent 23 Skidoo
"Secret Agent 23 Skidoo" is a seasoned musician who has performed nationally with a live hip hop band for over ten years. He has created a buzz amongst our LEAF staff and indeed with the Western North Carolina community for his fun vibe and positive message. His performances combine hip hop beats, reggae, bluegrass, funk, and blues with inventive word play aimed directly at a child's mind.
www.childstyle.org

Akira Satake

Akira Satake first discovered the banjo through his older brother 's Flatt and Scruggs recordings while growing up in Osaka, Japan. After relocating to New York City in his early 20's he spent two decades honing his innovative banjo style in venues from Village clubs to Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He went on to master the shamisen (Japanese banjo) in his own original style, and has made it an important part of his repertory. Satake garnered international attention with his collection of original compositions, "Cooler Heads Prevail," and shared the 1998 German Music Critics ' Award for Best World Music Recording with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Shawn Colvin, Jim Lauderdale, Hazel Dickens, Andy Statman, and Tony Trischka. He's produced award-winning CDs for Tim O 'Brien, Mamadou Diabate, Johnny Cunningham, and flamenco guitarist Gerardo Nunez. American banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka calls Satake "a brilliant banjoist with a split-level passion for the fiery breakdowns of southern Appalachia and the kaleidoscopic rhythms and melodies of World Music.
http://www.akirasatake.com/music.asp



Cary Fridley
Cary Fridley's singing evokes centuries of Southern voices from Memphis Minnie to Maybelle Carter. Her new band combines the honesty of folk music with the country groove of Asheville, breathing new life into classic country and blues with drums, electric guitar, pedal steel, and electric bass. Influenced by her Virginia mountain childhood and years performing at bluegrass festivals with her previous band, The Freight Hoppers, Cary's natural affinity for folk music shines is highlighted by her ability to reach the heart and soul of an audience.
http://www.caryfridley.net/ - LSS

David Wilcox
Local Singer-songwriter legend, David Wilcox, brings his deeply observant lyrics and music that moves the feet as well as the soul back to LEAF. "There's a reason so many of these songs are about joy and what it means to be really alive," David says. "There's been a change in perspective, how I see the world. These songs are fun and they offer a way of seeing this life as a heartfelt adventure. My favorite songs are the ones that have been to the depths of the darkness and shine a light on the way through." The music is a reflection of a life well-lived. www.davidwilcox.com

Embe Marimba Band
Making their fourth appearance at LEAF, this middle school marimba band from Evergreen Community Charter School, is a dynamic, exciting, inspiring group to watch and to dance to! Their ensemble, directed by Sue Ford, includes kids ages 11 to 14. Their repertoire consists of African music and a variety of other styles. Check out this unique school band playing on handmade Zimbabwean style marimbas and other handmade percussion instruments. .LSS




Gan Amin
Gan Anim is a group of muscians, originally hailing from around the US and British Isles, all now located in Asheville North Carolina. With Sean Southerland on guitar, Ken Cope on whistles and concertina, Jeanne Chirdon on tenor banjo, Suzannah Park on vocals and Jack Devereux on fiddle and uilleann pipes, the group tastefully interprets traditional Irish music. Gan Anim draws on Irish instrumental music and the ballad traditions of the British Isles and American South to create music that is energetic, engaging, and rooted deeply in tradition.


Hot Duck Soup
HOT DUCK SOUP, Burnsville, North Carolina's own great little old-time jazz swing ragtime blues jugband performs their toe-tapping, finger-snapping, fly-swatting, knuckle-busting, head-scratching, hip-swiveling music on banjos, guitars, ukuleles, cornets, kazoos, slide whistles, animal calls, assorted trash, and a washtub bass.
www.hotducksoup.net

Imhotep
Imhotep is a Mardi Gras Indian relocated to Asheville and now teaches at Vance Elementary. .LSS

Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) of BMCA
JAM, an abbreviation for Junior Appalachian Musicians, is a new addition at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts of a program that started in other NC counties. The goal of JAM is to give local youth in 4th through 8th grades the opportunity to study instrumental music of the area with master musicians. Group classes in fiddle, guitar, bass and other instruments meet weekly.
www.BlackMountainArts.org.

Kellin Watson Band
LEAF is always honored to have this incredibly talented singer/songwriter grace our stages. Sonic Bid Artist!
www.kellinwatson.com

Klondyke Coyotes
A group of kids in Asheville's Klondyke Community rose to the challenge that if they could organize themselves for 3 months, LEAF in Schools & Streets would provide them a mentor and performance costumes and tshirts. The kids range in ages from 3-13 and meet in their neighborhood weekly learning dance and song routines. They created the name themselves and have taken pride in their performances. The dance and music has given them focus in hope admist many challenges including one of the Coyotes being the victim of a shooting last year. They now dance in his honor as he continues to heal.



Kuumba
Ancestral Rhythms has been with Western North Carolina Arts Agencies (WNCAA), since 2003, doing artist-in-residencies and performances for the Transylanvia County Schools, Avery County Schools, Marion Elementary and local schools in the Asheville area.
www.myspace.com/alisakuumba

Lance Mills
Lance Mills is a guitar pickin', singin', songwritin' fool.His love of old blues, country and bluegrass are evident in the sound of his music, but there's a little rock and roll in the mix.....hillbilly dust on blue suede boots. He is an award-winning songwriter, a good cook, a papa and a husband

Mirth Remedy
This teen band's sound is solid funk and rock morphed to alternative punk creating a unique sound with an energy that has left crowds from numerous shows exhausted, shocked, and sprawled on the ground. Their show is fun for all and they will stop at nothing to achieve their goal: to awe as many crowds as possible. They do this using the weapon of pure fun and their great talent and music put together producing a show definitely worth seeing!

Phil Jamison
Assistant Director of the Swannanoa Gathering and coordinator of Old-Time Music & Dance Week, Phil is a nationally known as a dance caller, musician & flatfoot dancer.




Shannon Whitworth
With songs steeped in southern elegance, Shannon Whitworth's impact in the world of Americana music over the past several years has created lofty expectations by fans nationwide. So pure, strong and heartfelt, she catches the ears and touches the hearts of even the most unsuspecting bystander.

Steep Canyon Rangers
The Steep Canyon Rangers have carved out a special spot in the world of bluegrass music, creating a sound that looks forward and backwards at the same time. First formed in the stairwells and kitchens of Chapel Hill, NC, the Rangers arrive from varied musical backgrounds. On stage and in the studio, Woody Platt, Mike Guggino, Charles Humphrey, Nicky Sanders, and Graham Sharp have perfected their ensemble approach using fierce dynamics and seamless harmonies. The Rangers base their sound around a stunning catalogue of original songs, drawing on the sounds of early bluegrass, honky tonk, and blues. In 2006 the International Bluegrass Music Association voted Steep Canyon Rangers the Emerging Artist of the Year.


WWC Folk Choir
The Warren Wilson College Folk Choir, under the direction of Dr. Milton Crotts, is committed to the performance of a variety of musical styles and the exploration of music and singing traditions of many cultures. These talented college students have grown up in the traditions of folk, world, and classical music. They bring to the stage a diverse interest in Appalachian ballads, Celtic tunes, Early American Shape-note singing, African traditional singing, and Early European music. Their performances are filled with enthusiasm and professionalism.
Visit http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~music/ for more information Warren Wilson College is a liberal arts institution with many degree offerings

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